Introduction
Our summer workshop on Shetland at the end of May 2022 is all about renewable energy and the environment. The programme is in two parts before and after lunch on Saturday 28 May. In the morning, two excellent and very knowledgeable speakers with experience in translating and working in renewable energy will share their expertise and experience with you. After lunch we will have a translation workshop on renewables and the environment in Shetland, followed by a talk by an expert on peatland restoration.
Read on for more information, or download the booking form to book now!
Speakers
Tom Wills is an engineer and language enthusiast who has been working in wave and tidal energy for 15 years. After studying mechanical engineering with an Erasmus year in Bordeaux, Tom worked at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, before completing an Erasmus Mundus MSc in Marine Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. He has lived and worked in Chile and Indonesia, speaks fluent French and Spanish and has made a start on a few other languages. Tom is the author of a chapter on tidal energy in the Encyclopaedia of Marine and Offshore Engineering and now works for Nova Innovation on the Shetland Tidal Array.
Sue White is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM). Her background is in ecology, archaeology and as a Farm Conservation Adviser. She currently works as the Peatland Restoration Project Officer in Shetland, promoting the importance of peatlands for carbon storage, water quality and biodiversity and developing and implementing peatland restoration projects throughout Shetland. Her work is funded by the Scottish government through SNH “Peatland Action”.
Birgit Wagner is a freelance technical translator specialising in patents who has been based in Shetland for the past 20+ years and an MITI and ScotNet member for nearly as long. She has a degree in Engineering Mechanics from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and has worked in materials testing and air filter development and testing in Switzerland. With renewables being a hot topic in Shetland and through translating numerous patents for new developments, Birgit has developed a keen interest in the field.
Programme
Saturday AM: Renewable energy
Our morning speakers have experience in translating and working in renewable energy.
Birgit Wagner: Renewable Energy – an Overview
Birgit’s talk will give an overview of the different technologies, benefits and challenges associated with the utilisation of energy from renewable sources, including power generation, storage and transport. She will introduce some basic principles and definitions with the aim of enabling those with a non-technical background to gain a better understanding of technical texts relating to this topic.
Tom Wills: Marine Renewables
Tom’s talk will provide an overview of marine renewables and the pitfalls associated with translating industry texts, most of which he has personally encountered. He will outline the nature and distribution of marine energy resources, before examining the different technologies and the range of services that are required to support such projects. Tom will also touch on the potential of marine renewables to help tackle climate change and the political changes needed for the industry to realise its potential.
Saturday PM: Shetland’s Environment
Translation Workshop
After lunch delegates will work in language groups on a short text relating to renewables and the environment in Shetland. Texts will be distributed in advance to give delegates the option of researching any unfamiliar terminology. Groups will ideally be made up of three translators with the same language combination. Please fill in your language pair(s) in the registration form.
Sue White: Restoring Peatlands in Shetland – our contribution to mitigating climate change
Sue’s talk will be all about peatlands, or blanket bogs, how they were formed, their importance and value, not only for the wildlife they support, but also for carbon storage, regulating water flow and purifying water. She will talk about what happens when peatland is damaged, drying out and eroding, what measures can be taken to restore it and specifically about the restoration work undertaken here in Shetland.
Social programme
The workshop is part of ScotNet’s annual summer meeting and all attendees – plus their families and friends – are warmly invited to the social events on the Friday and Saturday evenings and on Sunday. Please fill in your choice of social activities in the registration form and pay any additional costs as detailed there.
Friday evening
On Friday evening there will be an informal dinner at The Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, Lerwick. This event will be a banquet-style meal with several options to choose from at £25 per head. Menus will be available nearer the time. Please tick the relevant box on your reply form, so that we can give the restaurant numbers.
Saturday Dinner and Ceilidh
On Saturday evening at 7.00 pm, we will meet again in the Sound Hall with spouses, partners, families and friends to enjoy a 3-course dinner with locally sourced ingredients, followed by a ceilidh with the Alan Nicolson Dance Band.
Menus will be made available nearer the time.
Sunday Coach Excursion: The Shetland’s South Mainland: all-inclusive cost approx. £35 pp
On Sunday we will have an all-day coach excursion to Shetland’s South Mainland, visiting Sumburgh Head with its lighthouse, visitor centre and seabirds; Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse settlement; and St. Ninian’s Isle, an island linked to the mainland by a beach known as a tombolo.
We are booked for lunch at the Sumburgh Hotel. In the event of bad weather, the walk in the afternoon will be replaced with a wet weather option.
Anyone with an afternoon flight out of Sumburgh can leave the excursion at lunchtime as the airport is very close to the Sumburgh Hotel.
Please note: Exact timings of sessions may be altered slightly and/or the order changed.
Location and venue
The workshop will take place in the Islesburgh Community Centre, King Harald Street, Lerwick: The workshop will be held in Room 16 and catering through the day will be provided in the same space.
Our dinner and ceilidh will be held in the Sound Hall, Upper Sound, Lerwick.
Cost
| Membership status | Workshop only* | Workshop, dinner and ceilidh | Dinner/ceilidh only |
| ScotNet members: | £50 | £80 | £30 |
| ITI (but not ScotNet) members: | £70 | £100 | £30 |
| Non-members: | £90 | £120 | £30 |
| Friday evening meal | £25.00 plus drinks |
| Sunday excursion | Price dependent on numbers and which visitor centres are open under Covid legislation. Estimated price inclusive of coach, lunch, and entrance to Sumburgh Head Visitor Centre and Jarlshof: £35 |
Book your place
Please fill in the separate reservation document and make your payment as indicated. If you have already paid a £40 deposit, please remember to deduct this from your payment.
Translators are welcome too
Travel and accommodation
It is recommended to book flights as soon as these become available to take advantage of the best prices. Ferry travel can be booked later, but if you want a berth for the overnight voyage, then it is best to reserve this early. One note of caution from Birgit is that flights can be delayed or cancelled due to fog and it is worth factoring in an extra day at the start, rather than planning to arrive at the last minute. After pre-registering, information on travel arrangements will be circulated. Those who received a ferry discount code last time should use the same code again as these do not expire. Birgit’s travel notes can also be found here.
As mentioned previously, accommodation in Shetland is busy in the summer (though we have carefully avoided all the regular events which take place), so do book this as soon as you can.
Call Notice
As ever, this Call Notice is also available as a PDF document.
